Rating: 
Summary: Never said this before, but not as good as the movie
Review: I don't know what the problem was, but I just didn't see how this was a readable book, good thing it was short 'cause I nearly quit it, maybe I should have. I just thought the book wasn't concieved near as much as the movie was, it seemed that Tim Burton put more fore-thought in the movie than Mr. Wallace did in his book. Now I did like the conflict between father and son and how this is resolved in the father's own special way, but besides that I didn't care much for the book. Now I loved the movie on the other hand, and thought it was excellent, best movie I'd seen in a while.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing
Review: What an amazingly powerful book. There aren't many books out there that actually make me cry. This book hooked me from page one. Not only because of the story, but because the writing is outstanding. I love how it's out of order and how the reader is taken into the dream world and reality seemlessly. I read it in a matter of hours and could not put it down. I have yet to see the movie and must admit that I'm a little afraid that it won't live up to my expectations from the novel. I will probably venture out and see it some time. Trust me the book is amazing!
Rating: 
Summary: Mythical But Not Magically Satisfying
Review: Sometimes, we only get interested in some small book if it becomes a big-budget movie. That's the reason why I read it and kinda glad too. I am curious how Tim Burton will adapt this book written by Daniel Wallace. "Big Fish" is a reference to the main character's father, Edward Bloom. He has a rather big ego and wants to be the talk of the town. So, you will get the idea when his son, William Bloom, retells a series of stories from his father. The stories are actually part fact and also part fiction. I am not criticizing the book for this since you must understand this from the author's perspective. William Bloom is trying to portray his father in a positive light and also understanding him too as a son. It's easy to forget about this and think that all the stories are nonsense. So, you really have to put yourself in the situation. For example, William constantly talks about his father's dreams and passions. I think this is a strong message since his father is trying to instill some drive to acheive the impossible. So, each story paves the way for William to become more like his father. The sad truth is that his father is over-weight and probably not very popular in hometown, Ashville. Does this really hurt William as a son? Probably yes and no. So, William gets fictious life of his father. He probably wants the real truth but it will hurt him to listen about his father's actual life. But, the dreams probably keeps his father alive and makes William be positive about himself. Part of the problem with the book is the stories. Too much tall tales and not enough dialogue between William and his father, Edward. I think the sections on "Death Takes One", "Death Takes Two", etc. are all quite good. I just wished that Wallace would add more on the father-son struggle. So much can be explained and also resolved between these conversations. I think Wallace tried too hard to charm the readers with these delightful myths. But, there is a point when you just want to know how William deals with a unrealistic father. To bring Edward back to firm ground, I think Wallace needs to seriously have William talk some sense into his father. Face reality and bring some closure in their relationship. Overall, I think Wallace did a wonderful job in these stories which are memorable. Next time, I just wish that Wallace also deals with the human aspect of relationship rather than gloss it over with picturesque stories. I think Tim Burton probably was attracted to the dream-like stories. Call me a critic but that got old really fast after the first couple of chapters.
Rating:
Summary: Don't be fooled by the size
Review: Many reviewers, and even the Reader's Guide in Big Fish, speak about its important mythical parallels and insight to father/son relationships. There is no doubt that both of these make Big Fish an incredibly intricate novel. But Wallace's ability to write in the way we remember is what makes Big Fish a great read. Although we generally follow his tale of William Bloom's father, Edward Bloom, in chronological order, it is not necessarily so. The reader is never quite sure when a specific tale occurred, nor does it matter in your understanding of Edward or of William. The tales occur as they are triggered in William's memory, as he strives to understand his father, to see what he has seen and feel what he has felt. Wallace's writing reflects the joys of oral traditions, of storytelling, of fabrication, of fantasy, of re-creating ourselves in other's eyes and the consequences that may bring. Big Fish is a wonderful, multi-layered series of stories combined to create a joy of a novel.
Rating:
Summary: TOUCHED in all the right places
Review: This book touched my life plain and simple. From now on I will view things from the perscpective that they were intended to be viewed in. I have been reading it twice a week, for the last 6 weeks, and honestly, I still want to keep reading it. I almost have the book memorized. This is a perfect gift to yourself. Endulge a little bit, what a book what a book. God bless you Daniel Wallace, you and your family.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging, but...
Review: Completely charming book, don't get me wrong. However, I felt it was lacking. Something I couldn't quite put my finger on and something (this is the first and likely only time I'll ever say this) that the movie was more successful with bringing out. What was true and what was fake. The multiple death scenes didn't really work for me. I got the point--lending to the encounter of father and son the same sense of the mythical and practical that the son grappled with for so many years. It's a nice, thoughtful easy read. Not earth-shattering or life-changing. I think it has loftier intentions than what it achieves, but it's a tasty little morsel.
Rating:
Summary: Glorious
Review: As a lover of myth, folklore and fairytale I was absolutely enchanted by this book. I do believe that storytelling is a direct route to our psyches, especially all of our collective unconscious as humans who share trials and triumphs with each other and forever wonder how we rate as individuals. Daniel Wallace has created an endearing world within a son's imagination of the father he desires to know. As a daughter I can embrace this same longing with both my parents. The beauty of our minds and souls is how we can indeed fill in the negative spaces with dreams and tall tales that somehow do reality and truth justice within the reflection. I loved this book for all it had to share. A lovely read and I recommend it to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: What The World Needs Now Is...
Review: ...IMAGINATION! And Big Fish is a wonderland of that. It is a tale, a fable with the moral of: It doesn't matter if it's real, as long as it makes you happy! I was so impressed by this novel. It is heartwarming and imaginative, entertaining and fantastical. Every moment was pleasurable for me, especially the uncompromised love that is displayed so poetically. If you are able, pick this up with another book that displays the beauty of life, Lucky Monkeys In The Sky (which I give 10 stars to!). It is by Michele Geraldi and it is remarkable, riveting, and sensational to the fullest degree of the word. Reading can be wonderful!
Rating: 
Summary: tall tales sound better than the truth.
Review: I first decided to read Big Fish because I had seen previews for the movie. I didn't even know there was a book before the movie. I just so happened to land across it when I was visiting my local Borders book store. When I saw the book, I decided to buy it. I got glued into the story and couldn't put it down. All the different tales from Edward Bloom's life left me wanting to hear more and more about this man's life. He truly was a Big Fish, and his son William finally saw that in his father's dying days. Maybe sometimes when all we want to hear is the truth, we realize that the tall tales were actually better in the end.
Rating: 
Summary: More difficult to read than necessary.
Review: I forced myself to continue reading this book when I should have put it down after the first twenty pages. This novel should have taken no more than three nights to read, it took me a week. Edward Bloom is on his deathbed, and all his son (William) wants is for him to tell an honest, realistic story about his life. It never happens. The entire book is comprised of Edward's tales of taming a giant, swimming through an underwater city, and all the lives he saved. Two memorable parts (one about a city that is guarded by a dog--the other about how to reveal bad news to someone who calls home to check up on everything) eventually will be forgotten. What is missing from this book? DETAIL. Why is this missing? One thought is that William is the narrator and really does not want to remember these tall tales, so he gives us the basic outlines. It was also distracting to have William be the narrator, use the terms 'my father' or 'my dad', then continue the story by saying how 'Edward' did this....Stick to either first or third-person--do not use both.
| 
